The Liso Calcutta Gherkin

The Liso Calcutta is a Cucumis anguria variety that originates from Africa. It is characterized by not just the regular thorny appearance of the Cucumis anguria, but by burly longitudinal ridges that straddle the sides of the fruit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It took a while for me to find the Liso Calcutta. Most seed companies sell one of a multitude of Cucumis anguria under the name of “West Indian Gherkin”. They are called this because there were a number of Cucumis anguria that made their way to the Caribbean via the slave trade. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My experience with the Liso Calcutta was that they grew fairly well. They produced good seed easily, which can be hard for some of the C. anguria varieties. Some other varieties don’t produce good seed until the plant has grown very large, the fruits have substantially plumped up and the fruit has been aged until it is nearly rotting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For those looking for something a little different, the Liso Calcutta is a very interesting variety to grow. While they exhibit many of the same qualities as the New Word gherkins (disease resistance and consistent production until the first frost) I personally prefer them much more than the Melothria scabra Sanditas or “Mexican Sour Gherkins” both in flavor and in texture.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Zambian Gherkin

I decided to try a new kind of Cucumis anguria this last season, so I planted a USDA variety from Zambia. Like the Ethiopian variety, this variety was nearly spineless. It looked perfect for the conditions I was growing in.

 

 Gherkins usually start out as small little plants and get larger over time. If not kept in check, they can slowly take over the garden. As they are very resistant to a number of diseases, the plants themselves usually only die off after a freeze. As for the prolific fruit, it is important to make sure to pick up any stragglers as the fruit reseeds very easily.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The plants grew well behind and between the other plants I was growing and I harvested plenty of fruit. And its dark color was quite beautiful. Unfortunately, there is something interesting about Gherkins. This variety, along with another one that I grew, produced plenty of fruit and seed. However, the seed did not germinate. Why exactly this happens, I don’t know, but it is pretty frustrating. I’m planning on refrigerating the seed for a while to see if I can determine if there is something about the sprouting technique that I’m missing.